In her best-selling book Swim Speed Secrets, 4-time Olympian and gold medalist Sheila Taormina revealed the freestyle swimming technique used by the world's fastest swimmers. Now in Swim Speed Strokes Taormina shows swimmers and triathletes how they can swim with elite technique in all four swimming strokes--butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Using crystal-clear photographs and her engaging, straightforward style, Coach Taormina explains the science behind power and speed in the water, explores the elements common to every stroke, and examines stroke technique in detail in individual stroke chapters. Swim Speed Strokes goes deep into the fastest swimming technique for each stroke, breaking down the pull, kick, core movement, and timing of 13 elite swimmers and Olympians including Peter Vanderkaay, Rebecca Soni, Aaron Peirsol, Rowdy Gaines, Ashley Whitney, Vlad Morozov, Ariana Kukors, Andrew Gemmell, Laura Sogar, Nicolas Fink, Elizabeth Beisel, Doug Reynolds, and Melanie Margalis. Taormina interviews each athlete and analyzes underwater photos and race stroke data to break down their technique in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. From the catch through the curvilinear path and diagonal phase to the power-packed finish phase, Taormina explores the pull patterns to show how any swimmer can improve their own swimming. As Taormina shows in Swim Speed Strokes, the fastest technique for all four swimming strokes is remarkably similar. One-stroke swimmers will find big improvements in practicing the others, refining their feel for the water, coordination, and stroke efficiency. Whether you want to master every stroke or simply improve on your best one, Swim Speed Strokes will show you how to become the strongest swimmer you can be.

In Swim Speed Secrets, 4-time Olympian, gold medalist, and triathlon world champion Sheila Taormina reveals the swim technique used by the world’s fastest swimmers. Over the course of 4 Olympic Games and throughout her career as a world champion triathlete, Taormina refined her exceptional technique as a student of the sport, studying the world’s best swimmers using underwater photographs and video analysis. From Johnny Weissmuller to Michael Phelps, the world’s fastest swimmers share two common elements: high stroke rate and a high-elbow underwater pull. Many swimmers and triathletes neglect the underwater pull, distracted by stroke count or perfecting less critical details like body position, streamlining, and roll. Swim Speed Secrets focuses on producing power—the most crucial element of swimming—to help triathletes and swimmers overhaul their swim stroke and find the speed that’s been eluding them. With a commonsense approach that comes from decades of practice and years of hands-on coaching experience, Taormina shows swimmers how to transition to faster swimming. Swim Speed Secrets includes: The best drills to cultivate a more sensitive feel for the water Dryland and strength building exercises to develop arm position and upper body musculature Crisp photos of Olympic swimmers and variations in their high-elbow underwater pull Clear descriptions of the key moments of the underwater pull Tips that helped her perform at a world-class level for two decades Sheila Taormina’s Swim Speed Secrets brings the focus back where it belongs—to a powerful underwater stroke. With this approach, triathletes and swimmers can stop swimming for survival and break through to new levels of speed and confidence in the water.

Transform your technique in the water and become a better swimmer with this remarkable new approach to freestyle swimming, suitable for all levels - beginner, intermediate and advanced, as well as swimming coaches. Aimed at both fitness and competitive swimmers, it explains what makes a successful stroke and how to develop your own swimming style. _x000D_The Swim Smooth approach, developed by consultants to the gold medal winning British Triathlon team, helps you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your stroke and provides drill and training tips to make the most of your time in the water. It accepts differences in individual swimmers and shows you how to understand the fundamentals of swimming to find a style that works for you. Technique, fitness training, racing skills and open water swimming are all covered, with photographs and 3D graphics helping you to put theory into practice. _x000D_Swim efficiently. Swim fast. Swim Smooth.

Are you thinking about getting into triathlon or doing your first race? Have you finished a couple of races and are keen to improve your time? Do you find the whole sport daunting and confusing? Are you a little intimidated by everybody else who looks like they know what they are doing? This easy to understand and insightful book is packed with practical ways you can improve and it will help you: -Understand the sport of triathlon "what is triathlon and how does it work?" -Develop a training plan together that simplifies your season -Train effectively so you minimise the risk of getting injured -Stop you making the mistakes which cost a lot of time and money -Make you feel confident when you are on the start line -Decide what race length is best for you from sprint to Ironman -Buy the right triathlon kit to suit your ability and your aspirations A personal note from the author: "This book is gathered from years of training and racing but not only from my triathlon experience but from the experience of champions. I have trained with and raced with elite athletes and winners from all over the world but I started not knowing what I was doing and was scared to death when I did my first race. I wish I had this book when I started out. I would have saved myself a lot of heart ache and stress! I wrote this to help all triathlon rookies get over their nerves and enjoy this fantastic sport." "Triathlon for beginners" is the start to finish complete guide which covers all the areas of training and racing including: -Where to start - types of races, what you need to know and where to begin -Jargon buster - helping you understand the terms of the sport so you can understand what people are talking about when they say "T1" or "Brick"! -Training rules and techniques -Swimming technique and etiquette -Running technique and how to prevent injury and run faster -Cycling in a pack what to do and what not to do -Transition - how to lay it out, what to bring and how to be effective -Understanding nutrition and why it is key, how best to manage your nutrition and what is best to eat for triathlon training and racing -Race day - what to look out for, how to prepare and what to expect This guide takes you from start to finish so you can feel confident and comfortable when you train and race. Here are some of the comments we have had from readers... I loved this book! I have completed a few triathlons- sprint and Olympic distance. This book really simplified what is important to focus on. There is so much to know and learn that sometimes you feel overwhelmed. It is an easy, entertaining read but packed with good knowledge that made a big difference to my racing. Charlotte Campbell, World Games triathlon gold medallist I wish this was around before! I did a number of Triathlons over the last few years. When I first took it up I had to ask people's advice which at best was disjointed and worst, confusing. I also read some very good stuff on the internet, however this was also disjointed and incomplete. This book would have been ideal, as it puts it all together clearly and concisely. Liam Harrington; sprint triathlete

Swim better—and enjoy every lap—with Total Immersion, a guide to improving your swimming from an expert with more than thirty years of experience in the water. Terry Laughlin, the world’s #1 authority on swimming success, has made his unique approach even easier for anyone to master. Whether you’re an accomplished swimmer or have always found swimming to be a struggle, Total Immersion will show you that it’s mindful fluid movement—not athletic ability—that will turn you into an efficient swimmer. This new edition of the bestselling Total Immersion features: -A thoughtfully choreographed series of skill drills—practiced in the mindful spirit of yoga—that can help anyone swim more enjoyably -A holistic approach to becoming one with the water and to developing a swimming style that’s always comfortable -Simple but thorough guidance on how to improve fitness and form -A complementary land-and-water program for achieving a strong and supple body at any age Based on more than thirty years of teaching, coaching, and research, Total Immersion has dramatically improved the physical and mental experience of swimming for thousands of people of all ages and abilities.

An illustrated guide to competitive swimming containing detailed overviews of the four primary strokes; racing strategies; and the most effective training methods and the science behind why they work.

In Swim Speed Workouts, 4-time Olympian, gold medalist, and triathlon world champion Sheila Taormina provides the essential swimming instruction, workouts, drills, and training plan to build all-new levels of freestyle swimming speed. Swim Speed Workouts applies the principles of Taormina_s influential swim technique book Swim Speed Secrets so swimmers and triathletes can get in the pool and get fast. Drawing from her 30-year racing and coaching career, Taormina_s Swim Speed program is carefully designed to build freestyle swim speed one crucial step at a time. Over 16 weeks, swimmers and triathletes will swim high-impact workouts to build whole-body swimming fitness. Each waterproof swim workout card incorporates the Olympic swimming drills, kick sets, and drylands that develop speed in the world_s fastest swimmers. Swimmers will refine their freestyle with the most effective hand entry, high-elbow catch, underwater pull, core drive, and propulsive kick. Swim Speed Secrets revealed the freestyle technique used by the world_s fastest swimmers. Now Swim Speed Workouts unlocks those secrets to swimming performance, building up swimmers and triathletes to breakthrough swim speed. Also available from VeloPress, download the first week of workouts and see video demos of the program_s swimming drills.

Learning how to swim can be a frustrating experience sometimes, especially for an adult. Kick with your legs, pull with your arms, breathe in, and breathe out and do it all at the right time. Before you know it you’ve got a hundred and one things to think about and do all at the same time or in the right sequence. The Swimming Strokes Book is designed to break each stroke down into its component parts, those parts being body position, legs, arms, breathing and timing and coordination. An exercise or series of exercises are then assigned to that part along with relevant teaching points and technique tips, to help focus only on that stroke part. Although it is not the same as having a swimming teacher with you to correct you, this book perfectly compliments lessons or helps to enhance your practice time in the pool. The 82 exercises form reference sections for each swimming stroke, complete with technique tips, teaching points and common mistakes for each individual exercise. Clear, concise and easy-to-follow.

See how to achieve stronger starts, more explosive turns, and faster times! Swimming Anatomy will show you how to improve your performance by increasing muscle strength and optimizing the efficiency of every stroke. Swimming Anatomy includes 74 of the most effective swimming exercises, each with step-by-step descriptions and full-color anatomical illustrations highlighting the primary muscles in action. Swimming Anatomy goes beyond exercises by placing you on the starting block, in the water, and into the throes of competition. Illustrations of the active muscles for starts, turns, and the four competitive strokes (freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke) show you how each exercise is fundamentally linked to swimming performance. You’ll also learn how exercises can be modified to target specific areas, improve your form in the water, and minimize common swimming injuries. Best of all, you’ll learn how to put it all together to develop a training program based on your individual needs and goals. Whether you are training for a 50-meter freestyle race or the open-water stage of a triathlon, Swimming Anatomy will ensure you enter the water prepared to achieve every performance goal.